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Dear Faithful Readers,
We just wrapped up the 19th annual National Sports Forum in Dallas and it was everything you would expect an event in Texas to be. BIG attendance, BIG hosts, and BIG name sports executives. It was one of those special years where networking and idea-sharing came together perfectly in unison, as many of you in attendance were able to experience.
For those of you who weren’t able to join us… keep reading below for the full recap of the 2014 NSF in Dallas.
Enjoy the feature…
Erin
[email protected]
P.S. - Feeling creative? Send in your best marketing and advertising campaign from 2013 and your team could be the next feature in "Selling It"!
2014 NSF Recap
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The InterContinental Dallas hotel began filling up on Saturday, February 8th for the 19th annual conference. At this point, our first program was already well underway. The NSF Case Cup Competition began on Friday evening, when students from 10 top MBA and Sports Masters programs visited Toyota Stadium, home to FC Dallas, to learn more about the team, venue and fan base. All of this information was being put to good use throughout the day Saturday when the 10 teams received their case based around the MLS team’s walk-up ticket sales. For 24 hours, each team worked diligently to put together a well-rounded presentation for the next day’s judging. In the end, four students from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln took home the trophy as the winner of the 8th annual Case Cup Competition.
Sunday was the first official day of the conference. As the trade show was being set up at the host hotel, our attendees were over at AT&T Stadium for the NSF Sunday Workshops: a group of sport-specific and topic-specific standalone meetings. This year two new workshops were added to the programming including “The Business of Raising Revenue” and “Social and Digital Media”. Workshop attendees took a midday break from the sharing of best practices and were treated to lunch and a tour of the Dallas Cowboys home venue provided by Legends.
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That evening, the group headed across the parking lot to Globe Life Park for our Opening Night Reception. Greeted by a taco truck and an array of ballpark food, the attendees were shown around the Ranger’s stadium before landing in the Hall of Fame behind right field. Here, everyone enjoyed a special interview of National Hall of Fame Pitcher Nolan Ryan by Chuck Morgan, the Rangers long-time PA announcer. Mr. Morgan and the Ryan Express spent about an hour discussing their unique relationship, historical moments in Ryan’s career, and other noteworthy topics. It was a truly special look into the lives of two Texas legends.
Monday – day two – brought our first Super Panel. Filled with high level sports executives throughout Texas, Abe Madkour led the panel including Eddie Gossage, Stephen Jones, Chris Plonsky and George Killebrew. No topic was off limits and the crowd definitely got candid a glimpse into the BIG business that is sports in the lone star state.
The day continued with breakout sessions on topics such as how social can affect your bottom line, developing a sales system, and engaging and marketing your brand to build a deeper relationship. A sponsor panel was hosted that evening, giving viewers insight into what organizations are looking to give and gain when entering into partnerships in sports. Surprisingly many of the panelists said they expected to be spending less in the area of sponsorship in 2014. Attendees mixed with 70+ exhibitors during lunch and dinner in the trade show, where networking took precedent. The Q Bar in the InterContinental filled up after the Opening Night in the Trade Show and NSF attendees continued to network well into the morning hours.
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On Tuesday, sandwiched between the ticketing super panel and “What Keeps You Up at Night?” super panel were a plethora of sessions covering how to leverage the power of mobile and cracking the code of the customer fan base… among 14 others. Overheard by many of the attendees was that the education was the most powerful it’s ever been. Throughout the day, trophies were given out to ADchievement Awards Category Winners and the Overall Winner (Milwaukee Brewers) as well as to the SAMMY Award Winner (Texas Rangers) that evening at the Budweiser Gala.
Hosted by the Dallas Mavericks and Stars, the Gala capped off the largest National Sports Forum to date. With nearly 950 people packed onto the floor of the American Airlines Center, attendees were treated one final time to a tour, delicious dinner and keynote speech by Mavericks President he final award of the event was also given out. In its inaugural year, Bonner Paddock announced the winner of the first-ever OM Foundation Award – given to someone in the industry who has overcome obstacles and in this case, made a difference in the lives of others. The recipient: Danny Heinsohn, a long-time NSF Alum who battled brain cancer and has since participated in Iron Mans, shaped a successful career, and created a foundation to give back to other heroes in his community. The end of the Gala felt like an extended family dinner… the hugs (and tears) were more than enough to go around.
The NSF is the type of event where by the final day there are no strangers, only people yet to meet… if any. There’s a real feeling of camaraderie and fraternity and this year was no different. Marked by a year, but the memories will last longer. Now, the page turns… on to Cincinnati for the 20th anniversary!
MORE INFORMATION:
To view all of the pictures from this year's National Sports Forum, visit our Facebook page here.
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